Arnold Schwarzenegger Confirms Involvement in TERMINATOR 5

Word on the net is that Arnold Schwarzenegger himself has confirmed his involvement with the latest Terminator film. While there is no official confirmation as of yet, Schwarzenegger was said to announce his appearance in Terminator 5 during a recent press day for The Last Stand. The Kim Jee-woon actioner was intended to be Schwarzenegger’s big return to a leading role in action, but the opening weekend’s box office was a huge disappointment. Perhaps returning to one of his signature franchises would help return the living legend to his former glory. Terminator production has been ramping up behind the scenes as of late, so we’ll have to wait and see how all of this plays out. Hit the jump for more.

The folks over at Bleeding Cool report that news of Schwarzenegger’s involvement in Terminator 5 comes right from the man himself. It’s no secret that Schwarzenegger was unhappy with Terminator: Salvation, a film in which he “appeared” as a CG-monstrosity. There’s no word yet on how an aging actor will fit into the plot centering on an immortal machine, but perhaps some more CG de-aging effects will be applied? Either that or the machines will generated a Grandpa Terminator to better blend in with the Baby Boomers.

Plot aside, the behind-the-scenes production of Terminator 5 has slowly been building steam. Producer David Ellisonjoined the picture last year as a producing partner to sister/financier Megan Ellison. As recently as last week, writers Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) were tapped to pen the fifth installment of the franchise. Almost a year ago, it was reported that Terminator 5 would be rated R, but that director Justin Lin had to step away from the project in order to tend to the Fast and Furious franchise. With Schwarzenegger’s rumored involvement in the production, hopefully we’ll get confirmation and a bit more news on the development of Terminator 5 over the next few months.